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ariereads's review
5.0
Startlingly good.
I came across this debut novel completely by accident, searching for a similarly named Lee Child book – this is worlds away from Jack Reacher. Drawing deeply from Scottish folklore and myth, in singing prose that is compulsively readable, Sylvester has woven a fantastically dark tale that is equal parts thriller and fantasy. The supernatural aspects in the story were a surprise, the cover blurb having suggested a far more straightforward story, but I really enjoyed the way Sylvester incorporated his own take on traditional tales. In fact, that’s a huge understatement – as the story drew on, I became more and more captivated, leading to a very sleepless night from being unable to put the book down.
Flora is a fantastic main character. Though stereotypical in description (outsider, no one understands her but there is something indescribably special about her, "not like other girls" etc, etc) the whole adds up to far, far more than the sum of parts. She is more than capable of looking after herself, but also readily makes mistakes.
Most unusually, her life doesn’t revolve around the “love interest”, and though love – and obsession – are important themes throughout the book, it is never formulaic. The same could be said about the entire plot: though it should have been predictable, it rarely was. Even when revelations were made that I expected, they were made in such a way that they became utterly shocking.
Like its ocean setting, The Visitors is beautiful, cold and relentless – and completely mesmerising.
On a second read:
The second time through and my opinion still holds, though memory had made more of the mystical elements and so it was slightly surprising to see how delicately the line between reality and myth is woven through.
I came across this debut novel completely by accident, searching for a similarly named Lee Child book – this is worlds away from Jack Reacher. Drawing deeply from Scottish folklore and myth, in singing prose that is compulsively readable, Sylvester has woven a fantastically dark tale that is equal parts thriller and fantasy. The supernatural aspects in the story were a surprise, the cover blurb having suggested a far more straightforward story, but I really enjoyed the way Sylvester incorporated his own take on traditional tales. In fact, that’s a huge understatement – as the story drew on, I became more and more captivated, leading to a very sleepless night from being unable to put the book down.
Flora is a fantastic main character. Though stereotypical in description (outsider, no one understands her but there is something indescribably special about her, "not like other girls" etc, etc) the whole adds up to far, far more than the sum of parts. She is more than capable of looking after herself, but also readily makes mistakes.
Most unusually, her life doesn’t revolve around the “love interest”, and though love – and obsession – are important themes throughout the book, it is never formulaic. The same could be said about the entire plot: though it should have been predictable, it rarely was. Even when revelations were made that I expected, they were made in such a way that they became utterly shocking.
Like its ocean setting, The Visitors is beautiful, cold and relentless – and completely mesmerising.
On a second read:
The second time through and my opinion still holds, though memory had made more of the mystical elements and so it was slightly surprising to see how delicately the line between reality and myth is woven through.
readliterally's review
4.0
Trigger warning (for future readers): somewhere around the second half of the book there's a rather explicit sexual assault scene (doesn't end in rape)
I read a chapter of this book earlier this year. I didn't know why, but I couldn't get into it at all. Turns out it just wasn't the right time and place. Because this book is just a perfect read for autumn days. No joke.
There is something hauntingly captivating about this book. The setting, the wonderful writing that evokes images in your mind - easily enough for me to want to make a film based on it - the general mood of the novel... It all brings the fictional island of Bancree (in real life Scotland) and selkie folklore to life. I was totally enchanted. Perhaps to some the story might have been boring and dragging - let's be real, no proper action happens until the last few chapters. But honestly? It only adds to the general idea of slow life in a remote place.
Simon Sylvester clearly has a vast knowledge of Scottish culture and a charming style of writing, and I applaud him for it. Partially, he tells the story of traditional sennachies. When I was reading the epilogue I realised that the book itself - Flora's story - might be a sennachie tale as well. Wonderful. A startingly good debut novel.
I read a chapter of this book earlier this year. I didn't know why, but I couldn't get into it at all. Turns out it just wasn't the right time and place. Because this book is just a perfect read for autumn days. No joke.
There is something hauntingly captivating about this book. The setting, the wonderful writing that evokes images in your mind - easily enough for me to want to make a film based on it - the general mood of the novel... It all brings the fictional island of Bancree (in real life Scotland) and selkie folklore to life. I was totally enchanted. Perhaps to some the story might have been boring and dragging - let's be real, no proper action happens until the last few chapters. But honestly? It only adds to the general idea of slow life in a remote place.
Simon Sylvester clearly has a vast knowledge of Scottish culture and a charming style of writing, and I applaud him for it. Partially, he tells the story of traditional sennachies. When I was reading the epilogue I realised that the book itself - Flora's story - might be a sennachie tale as well. Wonderful. A startingly good debut novel.
kaianicole's review
4.0
When I first heard about this book, I knew it included so many aspects that I love in books: an atmospheric and foggy feel, a mystery, a coming-of-age story with a female narrator, a modern day story touched by mythology, selkies, a remote island in northern Scotland. Official blurbs were throwing out lots of comparisons to Neil Gaiman and Tana French.
And the good news? I predictably really liked this book.
Flora lives with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother on the remote island of Bancree. She's in her final year of school, and all she cares about is graduating and getting off the island. She doesn't quite fit in at home or at school. Then, several things happen. A strange man and his daughter, Ailsa, move into an abandoned house. And men around the area, often on the fringes of the community, begin disappearing.
As Flora begins the school year, she's drawn into a school project researching selkies. She finds a macabre book about selkies and begins collecting selkie stories from several sources, including her grandfather and a sennachie, or storyteller, who lives in a hut near the sea. And she befriends Ailsa, another girl who doesn't quite fit in, and finds out she and her father have been moving from place to place across the Scottish coast. Motivated by his own loss, Ailsa's father has devoted his life to tracing a string of strange disappearances, much like the disappearances that are now happening in Bancree.
The book isn't perfect. It's slow to start (a bit too much rumination over breaking up with the boyfriend) and gets a bit overdramatic for my taste at the end.
That being said, The Visitors is well-written, atmospheric, and evokes a sad, lonely feel for life on what feels like the edge of the world. Flora was a great narrator. The story is a mystery, but it didn't feel like a traditional mystery story throughout. Flora doesn't set out to solve it, like a Scottish Nancy Drew. For most of the book, it feels more like a strange backdrop, until events draw Flora in. Also, the selkie elements were wonderfully woven in. The book is sprinkled with different selkie myths that are told to Flora, and these tales were some of my favorite parts. Selkie myths are so interesting to me--stories of people torn between the land and the sea, the way love and loss are intimately braided together.
Final disclaimer: I won this book from a GoodReads Giveaway (thanks!) in return for an honest review.
And the good news? I predictably really liked this book.
Flora lives with her mother, stepfather, and baby brother on the remote island of Bancree. She's in her final year of school, and all she cares about is graduating and getting off the island. She doesn't quite fit in at home or at school. Then, several things happen. A strange man and his daughter, Ailsa, move into an abandoned house. And men around the area, often on the fringes of the community, begin disappearing.
As Flora begins the school year, she's drawn into a school project researching selkies. She finds a macabre book about selkies and begins collecting selkie stories from several sources, including her grandfather and a sennachie, or storyteller, who lives in a hut near the sea. And she befriends Ailsa, another girl who doesn't quite fit in, and finds out she and her father have been moving from place to place across the Scottish coast. Motivated by his own loss, Ailsa's father has devoted his life to tracing a string of strange disappearances, much like the disappearances that are now happening in Bancree.
The book isn't perfect. It's slow to start (a bit too much rumination over breaking up with the boyfriend) and gets a bit overdramatic for my taste at the end.
That being said, The Visitors is well-written, atmospheric, and evokes a sad, lonely feel for life on what feels like the edge of the world. Flora was a great narrator. The story is a mystery, but it didn't feel like a traditional mystery story throughout. Flora doesn't set out to solve it, like a Scottish Nancy Drew. For most of the book, it feels more like a strange backdrop, until events draw Flora in. Also, the selkie elements were wonderfully woven in. The book is sprinkled with different selkie myths that are told to Flora, and these tales were some of my favorite parts. Selkie myths are so interesting to me--stories of people torn between the land and the sea, the way love and loss are intimately braided together.
Final disclaimer: I won this book from a GoodReads Giveaway (thanks!) in return for an honest review.
raven88's review
4.0
There’s something about crime fiction set in small town communities that is endlessly compelling, and if these communities are set on remote Scottish islands, so much the better! Again, another crime book that is much more allayed to the style of contemporary fiction, The Visitors is an intriguing tale, steeped in myth, murder and a nifty reworking of the familiar locked room mystery, where there are only a finite group of suspects, but where the guilty party is well-concealed. This book is atmospheric, mysterious, and is imbued with a beautiful dream-like quality, incorporating as it does mythical tales from the tradition of oral storytelling. By fusing so completely the superstitions of the past, with an essentially modern murder mystery focussed around two young female protagonists, Sylvester has really brought something quite different to the genre. Being fascinated personally by the Icelandic sagas and Norse myth, I thoroughly enjoyed the tales of the Shennachie but also how this was counterbalanced throughout by attention to the very particular problems of modern island existence in the contemporary age. Although I found the actual murder mystery a less satisfying aspect of the book, this was of little consequence when taking the character, atmosphere and the rendering of the mythical tales into account. Enjoyed and recommend.
han_cat's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, and it was so nearly a 5*. I just can't quite give it the 5 because the tone was a little confusing, at places especially beginning it reads quite like a young adult book but in other areas especially towards the ending the themes are quite intense.
Having said that its an excellent read and very unique. I loved the Scottish mythology wrapped up with a coming of age tale and the dual crime plot. Sense of place was amazing, I felt completely transported into a new world with these characters.
Recommend to anyone who likes traditional mysteries and/or folklore.
Having said that its an excellent read and very unique. I loved the Scottish mythology wrapped up with a coming of age tale and the dual crime plot. Sense of place was amazing, I felt completely transported into a new world with these characters.
Recommend to anyone who likes traditional mysteries and/or folklore.
carolhoggart's review
4.0
I bought this book completely out of the blue - a bookstore having a closing down sale and me determined to score a bargain. The cover grabbed me, and the back blurb intrigued, and so I grabbed it - and I'm so glad I did. Truly beautiful and atmospheric writing, and quite psychologically insightful at times. The plot moved deceptively slowly for the first three-quarters - but in a way that utterly suited the atmosphere and setting, and yet never felt dragging. It was like floating in a stream, and I was quite happy just to let myself flow along.
The main reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars was I found the last few chapters a little dissatisfying. Endings are hard - I get it! But I wasn't convinced by Izzy's metamorphosis from kindly beachcomber whom all the children love to demented serial killer. Other elements of the plot didn't seem to quite tie up either, especially the epilogue: I had no idea how much time was meant to have elapsed since the last chapter or what might have happened to Flo in the interim.
Even so, this was a wonderfully addictive reading experience. I think I would have finished this book in one sitting if I'd had the time.
The main reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars was I found the last few chapters a little dissatisfying. Endings are hard - I get it! But I wasn't convinced by Izzy's metamorphosis from kindly beachcomber whom all the children love to demented serial killer. Other elements of the plot didn't seem to quite tie up either, especially the epilogue: I had no idea how much time was meant to have elapsed since the last chapter or what might have happened to Flo in the interim.
Even so, this was a wonderfully addictive reading experience. I think I would have finished this book in one sitting if I'd had the time.
booksonhermind's review
2.0
I don't understand what just happened. I went back and forth rereading the last chapters and I think I get it but I don't. It was a very engaging story with a crazy twist I din't expect. I still don't know the truth from the imagined.
margaretpinard's review
3.0
It was an interesting tale for its character journey and its setting details, but some of the plot drivers weren't there for me, which lessened the tightness of the mystery plot.
graculus's review
3.0
I can't remember how I first came across this book, but it'd been on my list for a while before I got around to requesting it from my library...
The Visitors is set on a small Scottish island, one where the main employment is the local distillery or the fish farm and the children travel across to the mainland by ferry for school every day. Because the island is so small, there are very few children living there and our story is told from the point of view of one of them, Flora, who is 17 and desperate to finish school and leave - when we first meet her, she's with her boyfriend, who is also from the island but who is a year older and off to university in England.
In the background of the story is a series of disappearances of local people, one which has the police baffled, and the arrival of a father and daughter to a previously-abandoned cottage near where Flora lives. At school, Flora is given a project to write on Scottish folklore and ends up writing about selkies after discovering a copy of a book on the subject at a local jumble sale and also hearing stories from the local storyteller, who lives on one of the island's beaches. Perceptive readers of this review can probably put the pieces together and figure out that all these things are connected.
Anyway, on finishing The Visitors, I'm left feeling a little ambivalent about the book. There are good things about it, particularly the writing, which gives a good sense of place and is quite atmospheric, if not claustrophobic at times. However, it's let down a little (to my mind) by being in first person and also by the use of an attempted rape as a significant plot point - the same set-up could have been managed without things going that far and men writing about women being assaulted always feels a little salacious to me. Likewise this is a man's view on what life is like as a teenage girl and there was one point late in the story where I was left going 'huh?' at what was supposedly going on in Flora's head.
So, all in all not a bad book and I finished it regardless of those issues. I can't say I'll read The Visitors again but it wouldn't definitely put me off considering anything the author might write in the future.
The Visitors is set on a small Scottish island, one where the main employment is the local distillery or the fish farm and the children travel across to the mainland by ferry for school every day. Because the island is so small, there are very few children living there and our story is told from the point of view of one of them, Flora, who is 17 and desperate to finish school and leave - when we first meet her, she's with her boyfriend, who is also from the island but who is a year older and off to university in England.
In the background of the story is a series of disappearances of local people, one which has the police baffled, and the arrival of a father and daughter to a previously-abandoned cottage near where Flora lives. At school, Flora is given a project to write on Scottish folklore and ends up writing about selkies after discovering a copy of a book on the subject at a local jumble sale and also hearing stories from the local storyteller, who lives on one of the island's beaches. Perceptive readers of this review can probably put the pieces together and figure out that all these things are connected.
Anyway, on finishing The Visitors, I'm left feeling a little ambivalent about the book. There are good things about it, particularly the writing, which gives a good sense of place and is quite atmospheric, if not claustrophobic at times. However, it's let down a little (to my mind) by being in first person and also by the use of an attempted rape as a significant plot point - the same set-up could have been managed without things going that far and men writing about women being assaulted always feels a little salacious to me. Likewise this is a man's view on what life is like as a teenage girl and there was one point late in the story where I was left going 'huh?' at what was supposedly going on in Flora's head.
So, all in all not a bad book and I finished it regardless of those issues. I can't say I'll read The Visitors again but it wouldn't definitely put me off considering anything the author might write in the future.
banrions's review
4.0
i think possibly, this book was written just for me. it is almost the selkie story that i've been dreaming about writing since i was about 12. the atmosphere is perfect. the descriptions of the ocean, and the small island life, and flora's yearning for something more really work well. the selkie mythology and stories she is studying are fantastic. there are some really interesting bits about the nature of storytelling and mythology in here. and the coming of age, gothic vibe of flora's story really works.
i'll admit, it took me about halfway through the book to really get into it. the beginning was interesting and i was enjoying myself perfectly, but i was able to put it down and just come back to it later. reading a few chapters here and there and then go about my day. but, last night, i was meaning to do the same, read a few chapters before bed.... and then suddenly it was 2 am, and i'd just finished, and i was crying in bed. (the crying had a bit more to do with my cold, than the book, but, honestly, it also had to do with the book. i don't think too many others will find themselves ending this in tears. i cry a lot. i've accepted it.)
part of the reason i got so hooked towards the third act of the book is a bit of a spoiler. there are queer characters!! i don't feel bad spoiling that at all. because if i had known going in there was a girl/girl love story, my baby gay little heart would have squealed in delight and plowed right through the book from start to finish. so, it's there. rejoice! enjoy! i won't spoil anymore about that.
except that i will, because i need to talk about it. actual, real, spoilers for the ending:ALISA IS IN LOVE WITH FLORA!!! FLORA REALIZES SHE IS IN LOVE WITH ALISA BACK!! GAY SELKIE GIRL!!!! SHE WAS PROTECTING FLORA OVER AND OVER. I AM OVERCOME I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF. honestly, the reason this isn't a five star for me is because yet again, tragic lesbians, one of them dies. (i say lesbians just for a time saver and effect. flora is quite possibly bisexual, she dates a boy. she shows attraction to men. she never states her sexuality. neither girl does.) BUT the reason i am not bitter about it, after sleeping and thinking it over, is that... all selkie stories are tragic. i've been interested in them since i was 12, and i've yet to encounter a happily ever after. so, while i would have loved to see alisa and flora, like, actually together beyond their developing friendship, and the one life saving underwater kiss (which i LOOOVED ngl) and the declaration of love as alisa is dying, i can (a little unhappily, and while docking a star) be okay with it. i will just have to write the happily ever after lesbian selkie story myself one day.
in conclusion: the sea, selkie myths, gothic murder elements, small town isolation, fierce lady friendship, teenage girls being awesome, and girls falling in love. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? READ IT.
i'll admit, it took me about halfway through the book to really get into it. the beginning was interesting and i was enjoying myself perfectly, but i was able to put it down and just come back to it later. reading a few chapters here and there and then go about my day. but, last night, i was meaning to do the same, read a few chapters before bed.... and then suddenly it was 2 am, and i'd just finished, and i was crying in bed. (the crying had a bit more to do with my cold, than the book, but, honestly, it also had to do with the book. i don't think too many others will find themselves ending this in tears. i cry a lot. i've accepted it.)
part of the reason i got so hooked towards the third act of the book is a bit of a spoiler. there are queer characters!! i don't feel bad spoiling that at all. because if i had known going in there was a girl/girl love story, my baby gay little heart would have squealed in delight and plowed right through the book from start to finish. so, it's there. rejoice! enjoy! i won't spoil anymore about that.
except that i will, because i need to talk about it. actual, real, spoilers for the ending:
in conclusion: the sea, selkie myths, gothic murder elements, small town isolation, fierce lady friendship, teenage girls being awesome, and girls falling in love. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? READ IT.
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